He said in an interview with The Guardian last night: "I am mystified by all this stuff,” Johnson said. “Not me, guv. I don’t know where it is coming from, honestly. It feels to me like an attempt to keep the great snore-athon story about my article running.

"I am confident [Theresa May] will set out an exciting and positive vision for Brexit and it will be a speech around which everyone can unite."

On his bitter Cabinet feud over Brexit with Chancellor Philip Hammond, he added: “We are a government working together, we are a nest of singing birds”.

No10 also insisted Mr Johnson would not resign, with the PM’s official spokesman saying: "She thinks he is doing a good job".